a little blog about paper, food, and family.
set in the charming Cape Cod town of Orleans.
perpetually covered in cat fur.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Start-to-Finish Sunday #11: Tips for Breaking Creative Block

Start-to-Finish Sunday is back! I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted a video - or posted anything, really, for that matter! We were so looking forward to the quiet season, which seems finally to have started, and then as soon as everything started to slow down, I found myself with no inspiration whatsoever! Isn't that just the way?! Here I am, surrounded by all the amazing new Spring Catalog and Sale-a-Bration (starting 1/22!) product, and I can't figure out anything to do with it!

Enter today's card. I needed a couple customer thank you cards, so I had no choice but to create something. I was inspired by a card I saw online, and in taking inspiration from that other card, I was able to cull some tips for breaking through creative/inspiration block. So I decided today was the day to bring back Start-to-Finish Sunday! :) The first part of the video is an overview of the tips, as well as some information about Sale-a-Bration, Stampin' Up's biggest and best deal of the year, which starts on January 22. Can you say free exclusive product?! :-D In the second part of the video, I put my money where my mouth is, so to speak, and use those tips to create a card.

#1: Try a different size. A2 (4.25 x 5.5") isn't the only card size out there. I find this especially helpful when I have a small stamp. I really struggle with small stamps, mostly because I feel like they tend to look awkward and "lost" on a standard size card. Try 3.5 x 5, 3 x 3, or 4.25 x 4.25.

#2: Play with white space. I love the look of layering, and I always feel like my card needs more. If you're easily spooked by CAS cards like me, try adding a subtle detail like tone-on-tone background stamping or dry embossing so that the white space doesn't feel empty.

#3: Take your color cues from your DSP. There are basically three elements to a card, right? Images, colors, layout. So let's say you find yourself lacking inspiration. Grab a stamp set, grab some DSP, and you've got two out of three covered!

Hope you like the card and that some of these ideas are helpful! See you next time!